| Peter Dunfield | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | September 1931 | ||||||||||||||
| Died | (aged 82) Seattle, Washington, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Figure skating career | |||||||||||||||
| Country | Canada | ||||||||||||||
| Skating club | Toronto SC Gloucester Skating Club | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||
Peter Dunfield (c. 1931 – May 25, 2014) was a Canadian figure skater and coach. He competed in four skating, winning the 1949 North American silver medal, and single skating. He is best known for coaching Elizabeth Manley to the 1988 Olympic silver medal.
Career
Dunfield competed in four skating with partners Mary Kenner, Peter Firstbrook, and Vera Smith. The group won the silver medal at the 1949 North American Championships.
As a single skater, Dunfield won the Canadian national junior title in 1951 and bronze on the senior level in 1952 and 1953. He was sent to the 1953 World Championships in Davos, Switzerland and the 1954 World Championships in Oslo, Norway, placing eighth both times.
From the early 1960s, Dunfield coached with his wife in New York City at the Sky Rink. When the rink closed around 1983, they moved to the Gloucester Skating Club in Orleans, Ontario. His students included:
- Elizabeth Manley (from 1983 to 1988), 1988 Olympic silver medalist.
- Yuka Sato (from age 16 to 21)
- Charlene Wong (from 1986 to 1990)
- Melissa Militano / Mark Militano
- Vivian Joseph / Ronald Joseph, 1964 Olympic bronze medalists.
- Scott Allen
- Angela Derochie
- Vera Wang
Dunfield retired from coaching in the late 1990s. He was inducted into the Canadian Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2001.
Personal life
Dunfield was married to American skater and coach Sonya Klopfer, with whom he had two sons. He died of a lung ailment in his sleep in Seattle, Washington, at the age of 82 on May 25, 2014.
Competitive highlights
Singles career
| International | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 |
| World Championships | 8th | 8th | |||
| North American Championships | 5th | ||||
| National | |||||
| Canadian Championships | 2nd J. | 1st J. | 3rd | 3rd | |
| J. = Junior level | |||||
Fours career
(with Mary Kenner, Vera Smith, and Peter Firstbrook)
| International | |
|---|---|
| Event | 1949 |
| North American Championships | 2nd |
References
- ^ "Skating community saddened by the death of Peter Dunfield". Skate Canada. May 27, 2014.
- ^ Elfman, Lois (May 29, 2014). "Dunfield remembered as teacher, motivator". IceNetwork.
- ^ Rosewater, Amy (February 14, 2010). "Manley says "she feels like a million dollars"". IceNetwork.
- Elfman, Lois (January 31, 2008). "Behind the scenes of figure skating - Jan. 31". IceNetwork.
- Rosewater, Amy (December 13, 2013). "1964 Olympic Skating Pair Only Now Discovering Their Place". The New York Times.
- Scanlan, Wayne (May 27, 2014). "Liz Manley's skating coach, Peter Dunfield, dies at 82". Ottawa Citizen.
- "Peter Dunfield, former skating coach to Elizabeth Manley, dies". CBC News. Yahoo News. May 27, 2014.
- "Skate Canada Results Book - Volume 1 - 1896 - 1973" (PDF). Skate Canada. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-11-22.
- "Canadian National Championships Medallists" (PDF). Skate Canada. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-09-20.